Unemployment in Bulgaria was 5.2% in March 2018, again below EU average

Unemployment in Bulgaria in March 2018 was 5.2 per cent, down from 5.3 per cent a month earlier and from 6.4 per cent in March 2017, European Union statistics agency Eurostat said on May 2.

The March 2018 figure for Bulgaria was once again below the EU average unemployment, which was 7.1 per cent.

The Bulgarian unemployment figures represented about 179 000 people, down from about 212 000 jobless people a year earlier.

Youth unemployment in Bulgaria also dropped again in March 2018, to 10.4 per cent (about 19 000 people), from 13.5 per cent (about 22 000 people) in March 2017.

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 8.5 per cent in March 2018, stable compared with February 2018 and down from 9.4 per cent in March 2017. This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since December 2008, Eurostat said.

The EU28 unemployment rate was 7.1 per cent in March 2018, stable compared with February 2018 and down from 7.9 per cent in March 2017. This is the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since September 2008.

Among EU countries, the lowest unemployment rates in March 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.2 per cent), Malta (3.3 per cent) and Germany (3.4 per cent).

The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece (20.6 per cent in January 2018) and Spain (16.1 per cent).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in all member states except Lithuania where it remained stable and Estonia where it increased (from 5.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent between February 2017 and February 2018).

The largest decreases were registered in Cyprus (from 12.3 per cent to 9.1 per cent), Greece (from 23.2 per cent to 20.6 per cent between January 2017 and January 2018), Croatia (from 11.8 per cent to 9.4 per cent) and Portugal (from 9.7 per cent to 7.4 per cent).

In March 2018, 3.500 million young people (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 2.449 million were in the euro area.

Compared with March 2017, youth unemployment decreased by 409 000 in the EU28 and by 305 000 in the euro area. In March 2018, the youth unemployment rate was 15.6 per cent in the EU28 and 17.3 per cent in the euro area, compared with 17.3 per cent and 19.4 per cent respectively in March 2017.

In March 2018, the lowest rates were observed in Germany (6.1 per cent), the Czech Republic (6.8 per cent) and the Netherlands (7.0 per cent), while the highest were recorded in Greece (42.3 per cent in January 2018), Spain (35.0 per cent) and Italy (31.7 per cent), Eurostat said... / IBNA